147+ Perfect Wrist Tattoos Designs, Ideas for Men & Women

Wrist tattoos are among the most popular tattoo designs as they are rather easy to get since they are quite smaller in size and less painful for someone getting a tattoo for the first time. These tattoos look adorable and don’t require much of a fuss and can often be done in minutes or even seconds. So if you too are interested in inking something cute for yourself or your loved ones, you have come to the right place. Keep reading, and you will find some interesting facts about the nifty wrist tattoo.

Wrist Tattoo Trend

As with most other tattoo trends, these were too first adorned by seafarers and sailors. They inked themselves on the wrist as a symbol of good fortune and protection during their voyage on the sea. The most popular tattoo of them being the Nautical Star. Also during the mid-50s and the 60s, wrist tattoos were associated mostly with the LGBT community. But the trend of wearing such a tattoo has changed over time, and it is no longer associated with a person’s sexual orientation.

Youngsters and elders alike get themselves a tattoo on their wrist, something which is seen by the millennial as cool and hip. You could also see patients suffering from life threating diseases such as Cancer or ALS inking a tattoo on their wrists as a symbol of their perseverance and strong grit.

Wrist Tattoo Design

Wrist tattoos are hugely customizable, and there are no hard and fast rules as to what the primary design element should be. You could easily find these tattoos worn by first time users, so they would mostly go with something that is simple and less painful to ink on. Most favorite designs of such tattoos include the compass tattoo, cross tattoo, other elements such as birds, or the names or initials of their loved ones, either in their mother tongue or some other foreign language. Couples would too get matching tattoos on their wrists such as the scarlet heart symbol, initials of their spouses, etc. as a symbol of their love.

Meaning and Significance of Wrist Tattoos

These tattoos are mostly inked on the inner side of the wrist and mean different things to different people depending on the placement. Most people get such tattoos as a source of their inspiration. They either ink some particular quote or another symbol that they would glance now and then during the day and that would keep them focused. Every time they feel low and depressed, the tattoo would act as a reminder that they have bigger goals to achieve and would lift up their spirits.

Not just for themselves, people get these tattoos for the sake of their loved ones. Showing such symbols to their loved ones shows the other person how much they mean to them, and that they would always have a special place in their heart.

Wrist Tattoo Types

The design of most of the wrist tattoos has one thing in common – small size and finely detailed. If you are confused as to what tattoo you should get, here are the major types you can choose from:

Compass and Cross Design

The compass and cross tattoo designs are considered classics when it comes to such tattoos. They are simple and look elegant and goes well with both men and women, of all age groups.

Zodiac Symbols

Zodiac signs are the most preferred types of wrist tattoos. People getting such tattoos want to portray their sun signs and a subtle means of expressing their personality. There are a total of 12 sun-signs, and each of them is associated with one planet or constellation. You can choose a tattoo depending on your zodiac sign and customize it as you want.

Foreign words or symbols

A lot of people decide to get some inspirational quote or saying in a foreign language. People often prefer Latin or Greek symbols. However, the Sanskrit and the Devnagri script are becoming hugely popular as well. Many famous stars proudly flaunt Sanskrit tattoos like Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Katy Perry and Adam Levine.

Musical Symbols

Musical notes are also a popular choice for people getting a tattoo on their wrists. Even in musical notes, you will several types of them – the whole note, the half note, quarter note, etc. You could also opt to get a mixture of these signs if you deem so.

Inspirational Quotes

Sometimes people also get trendy and inspirational quote inked on their wrists. These necessarily need not be verbose, but something simpler such as “Keep Calm,” “Persevere,” “Dream,” etc. Sometimes such one-word quotes work much better than full one-liners.

Flowers

Flowers have traditionally been the choice of wrist tattoos mainly by women. The most famous of them being the elegant rose, white lily, tulips, etc. Flowers stand as a symbol of their femininity and innocence.

Matching Pair Tattoos

These tattoos are most popular among lovers or best friends. Here, one part of the tattoo is inked on one of them, and the other part inked on their better halves. The most popular among such symbols are the “I Love You.” Other popular ones are “The Lock and the Key,” “Hearts” or some matching design that together complete the tattoo.

These tattoos are excellent for couples as a symbol of their undying eternal love. Celebs like Jay Z and Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Brand Russell have matching tattoos. Not only this, One Direction have got matching tattoos. So sweet, right?

So, if you too are looking for something sweet and aren’t committed to getting a full large scale body tattoo, a wrist tattoo is the perfect match for you.